File and file cabinet for letters or other papers



w. s. sHAF-r Apr. 3, 1923.A

.W. S. SHAFT FILE AND FILE CABINET FORy LETTERS OR OTHER PAPERS Apr. 3, 1923.

25, 1920 5 sheets-sheet 2 rin fak: .linnn .I

Apr. s, 1923.

- w. s. SHAFT FILE AND FILE CABINET FOR LETTERS QR OTHER PAPERS Filed Sept. 25, 1,920 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Apr. 3, 1923.

UNITED STATES WILLIS S. SHAFT, OF FARIBAULT, MINNESOTA.

FILE AND FILE CABINET FOR LETTERS OR OTHER PAPERS.

Application filed September To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VILLrs S. SHAFT, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Faribault, in the county of Rice and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Files and File Gabi` nets for Letters or Other Papers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved file and file cabinet for letters or other papers, of the kind which need to be kept readily accessible in offices or elsewhere for convenience of reference lin the conduct of business; and, to this end, my invention consists ofthe novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

My invention, in its preferred form, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like notations refer to `like parts throughout the several views.

In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing m improved cabinet with several of my improved files supported thereinthe others being removed;

Fig. 2 is a Vertical sectionon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 through a portion ofthe cabinet and through the whole or portions of some of the files supported therein;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one of the les detached, the dotted lines showing the wayin which the lile is handled by the hand of a person taking hold of the index linger;

Fig. Ll; is a view` of the mouth portion of one of the files, in section on the line 1 -4L of Fig. 3, as the same would appear when 4laid down flat-wise on a tableor other support, the dotted line showing howthe index finger" of the file is manipulated by the hand 'of a person to separate the mouth lips and open the file;

Fig. 5A is a view in end elevation showing one of the files as it might appear when laid down flat-wise on a table or other support, thisbeing on a smaller scale than Figs. 2, 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing one of the files as it might appear when the pocket is completely opened up so asv to 25, 1920. Serial No. 412,766.

bring its two walls into line with each other and then laid down flat-wise with its interioisurface and the contents of the pocket exposed to View; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the end portion of a file having pocket walls of comparatively stiff material, instead of be ing made of cloth or tough paper, asv in the other views.

The cabinet is shown as made up of an open face box-like body 8 provided with vertical dividing partitions 9 and a series of file-suspending rungs 10 passing through these partitions 9 and having their ends seated in the end walls of the body 8. These rungs are suitably spaced apart from each other in a common vertical plane near the facev of\ the cabinet, so as to leave space between the rungs for the insertion and removal of the files, and space behind the rungs for the suspension of the files.

Each file is composedyof a pocket 11, conveniently and preferably formed from a piece of cloth or other flexible material centrally folded and ofthe proper size for holding the letters 12 or other papers therein, and a pair of lips marked, respectively, 13'and 14, composed of rigid material, preferably-thin metal, secured to the end margins of the piece of folded cloth 11. The lip 13 is wider than the lip 14, and has one of its margins folded over one'end 'of `the cloth body 11, while its opposite margin is rolled over to provide a bill. An index finger 15 is carried byv the lip 14l and is adapted to be engaged with lip 13 through a slot 13'- in the latter, to retain the body in a closed position. Each of the lingers 15 has indicia 15er thereony to identify the contents of the cloth body or file on which it is mounted. Further, these fingers serve as' handles by which thel files may be conveniently carried. The bill of the lip 13 aHords a means forsuspending the closed ile within the cabinet, from one ofthe rungs 10 thereof, asbest 4shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings. The index finger 15'- is preferably composed o-f metal and is so shaped, that, when the lips are closed, 'it will engage with the walls of the* passagey 1.3a of the lip 13 freely `with a hook-like action, and thereby hold the lips in their closed position, and will'be readily forced out from the said passage 132, when the file is removed yfrom the cabinet 1 and laid down flat-wise with its lip 13 resting on a table or other support, as shown in Fig. L1 of the drawing.

The lip 141 is shown as turned inward at its upper edge into a short roll affording a stiffening bead Ma, which abuts the inner face of the lip 13 when the parts are in their closed position, as shown in Fig. 2. As a. matter of convenience for connecting the lips 13 and 111 with the ends of the pocket-forming cloth 11, the lo-wer ends of the said lips are upturned and made to embrace down-turned end folds of the cloth between the same and the bodies of said lips under a clamping action. in a manner which is obvious from Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings.

The correspondence or otherl papers 12 are classified with reference to an index, and to the respective files, and each file has its own independent index notation, such as the numeral 1, shown on the papers in Fig. 6 and on the index linger 15 in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and various other numbers such as shown on the index fingers of the files mounted in the cabinet, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The partitions 9 of the cabinet are so located, in respect to leach other and the side walls `of, the cabinet, that the files fit snugly within the respective compartments of the cabinet formed by these partition walls; and hence, `the ends of the file will abut the partitions or end walls, and thereby pref vent endwise displacement of the letters or other papers in the files, when the latter are in the cabinet. v

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the pocket is represented as composed of two sections 16 and 17, of comparatively rigid material, pivotally'connected at their lower ends by ahinge joint 1S. The said sec tions 16 and 17 may be made of' any suitable material, such as stiff cardboard, wood veneering or thin metal, and the hinge joint 18 be of any suitable kind, preferably made out of metal. ln other respects, the pocket of this modification, illustrated in Fig. 7, is identical with that shown inthe main views, and is intended to be employed in the same way.

The practicability and utility ofl my improved file and file cabinet has been demonstrated b-y the successful commercial usage thereof.

It will, of course, be understood that more or less of the details may be changed without departing from the spirit of' the invention.

vWhat I claim is 1. A file for letters or other papers comprising a pocket adapted to hold the papers and which pocket has one lip of hook-shape at its outer margin and provided with a passage for an index finger and which pocket has on its other lip an index finger adapted to project through said passage when the lips are in their fileclosing position, and whichhoolz-shaped lip affords means for suspending the closed file in a supporting cabinet with the index finger in sight, substantially as described.

2. A file for letters or other papers comprising an expansible pocket adapted to hold the papers and which pocket has one lip of hook-shape at its outer margin and provided with a passage for an index finger and which pocket has on its other lip an index finger adapted .to project through said passage, when the lips are in their le-closing position, and which hook-shaped lip affords means for suspending the closed file in a supporting cabinet with the index finger in sight, substantially as described.

3. A file for letters or other papers comprising a flat. pocket having its body portions composed of iiexible material and its lip portions composed of rigid material, one of said rigid lips being hook-shaped at its outer margin and provided with a passage for an index finger and the other of which rigid lips has an index finger adapted to project through said passage in the hool shaped lip, when the lips are in their filecloising position, and which hook-shaped lip affords aA means for suspending the closed file in the supporting cabinet with the index finger in sight, substantially as described.

4. The combination with an open face cabinet having vertically spaced and aligned supporting means, of files comprising folded sheets, having a lip extending transversely along one end thereof', said lip being curved to form a hook adapted to face inwardly of said cabinet and co-operating with said supporting means whereby the files are suspended in said cabinet in overlapping relation with the said lips concealed between said supporting means, and means on said files projecting forwardly of said lips for lifting and withdrawing the same.

5. A file for let-ters yincluding a sheetadapted to receive correspondence and foldable to incase the latter, said sheet having means secured to one end thereof having a curved edge adapted to pendently support the file, and an index finger secured to the opposite end of the file, said means having an opening therein through which said index finger passes to hold the file in closed position, said linger valso forming means by which the file may be carried.

6. The combination with an open face cabinet having a plurality of file-suspending rungs vertically spaced apart from each other, of a plurality of files,each provided with a hook-ended lip adapted to suspend the file from one of said rungs, and having a passage for an index finger and each file having another lip provided with an index linger Working through the said passage of the hook-shaped lip and bearing an exposed index notation, substantially as described.

7. The combination With files having o en ended pockets for holding letters or ot er papers, of a cabinet having one or more compartments for receiving said pockets with the vertical walls of the compartments spaced apart so as to snugly abut the open ends of the files, when the latter are in the cabinet, vertically spaced horizontal rungs near the front edge of said compartments, and means extending across one end of the files for engagin over said rungs to suspend the files there rom.l

8. A file for letters comprising, a vexible sheet adapted to be folded intermediate its ends to form a letter-holding pocket, stiffening strips at each end of said sheet,

one of Which has its outer edge formed as a curved bill adapted to hook over a rod to pendently support said le, said strips contacting When the sheet is in vfolded position, and including means for holding the sheet in closed position.

9. A letter le with flexible body, supported by one of its ends, and havin its opposite end folded over a line interme iate of said body to provide a pocket for the reception of letters, and means to prevent casual opening of the pocket, said means being provided vvith indicia to identify the contents of said pocket.

` In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature I -O. D. MCGREW, A. B. SHAFT. 

